Princess Under the Mountain
by JenniferofHouseStark
Summary: A Fem!Bilbo fic. If you don't like that sort of thing this isn't for you. Beatrice Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield are now King and Queen. This is a look into how they would be as parents and how one would affect their marriage, with other plots interfering. Some chapters rated M for violence and sexual situations, but you'll always be told beforehand.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: The character of Bella-Dis was initially based on Oberyn Martell (ASOIAF) and a hint of Merida (Brave). She looks essentially like her Mother in face, with stubble befitting a young dwarf, but has more of Thorin's personality. Let's see how that plays out for her...

* * *

Bella-Dis

When I was small, my favourite story was of how my Mother saved my Father from the Pale Orc. In all the songs Uncle Bofur would sing to me, it was always some Dwarf Lord saving a princess, but in this story, it was my own Mother standing guard over a man when he was too weak to protect himself. There he lay, unconscious, helpless, and just when all seemed lost, she appeared and saved him, driving her own blade into his attacker. I hadn't believed it at first; Uncle Balin heard my misgivings only about 3 words in:

"But she's so small!" (I hadn't thought, at five years old, that she was taller than me, in fact, I was to grow about a head taller than her as an adult).

My Father had knelt before me.

"You should _never_ judge a warrior by their size, Bella," He had told me, "I made that mistake when I first met your Mother." And he looked over my head at her with a smile I only ever saw him give her, no one else.

She, my Mother, was Beatrice Baggins by name. By title she was Beatrice, Daughter of the West and Queen of Erebor. My Father was Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain. All the Lords bowed to him when he walked by, and gave Mother courteous nods and addresses of _Your Grace_. I couldn't wait until they did that for me. When I told Uncle Balin and Uncle Dwalin how excited I was to be Queen one day, they both laughed. Out of all my Uncles, I think them and Uncle Bofur were my favourites.

"You truly are Thorin's daughter," Dwalin told me.

Of the company that travelled with my Father to reclaim Erebor, I wasn't related to most of them. The only two I shared any blood were my cousins, Fili and Kili, the sons of my Aunt Dis. She was there when my Mother gave birth to me, which is why I was named partly for her. After she had drank a flagon of wine once, I asked her to tell me about it.

"I never knew your Mother to have such strength for a Halfling!" She roared, "By my beard she was bloody frightened at first; she told me she had never known such pain. I grabbed her by the shoulders and told her,

'Listen, every woman in this room has given birth, we all know your pain. There is no one better to give birth with than us. You have nothing to fear.'

"And so she screamed. We all knew the sound- no one better. When I finally pulled you yelling even louder from her, she had fallen into a sleep. I had never seen any woman loose so much blood during a birthing, but at first I feared not. It was when we couldn't wake her that I began to fear. Thorin was waiting outside; when he had asked if he could sit by her bedside during the labour, we all told him no. Women are not allowed to fight in the armies of either Erebor or the Iron Hills; the men have their battles and we have ours, which have no place for them.

"I had never seen such a look on his face when I told him Beatrice had fallen into a sleep and couldn't be waked. I don't even like to think about it. I have never feared your Father, but I feared _for_ him that day, how he would live upon losing your Mother. Weeks went by, and we had to spoon soup into Beatrice's mouth to keep her nourished. Thorin was with her every waking moment, turning deaf ears to matters of state. It fell to Balin to rule the Mountain whilst the King would not, but there was no one that objected- you have always known and seen how Beatrice is loved by the people, as you will be, I do not doubt. When she finally woke, I was lucky enough to be there. It was I who saw her thin fingers close around Thorin's; he had fallen asleep at her side as he did so many nights, and it was I who saw him look up and see her eyes open, looking at him. It was I who saw the King Under the Mountain weep."

I was named Bella for my Mother's Mother, Belladonna. Her people, Hobbits, are simple, earthly people living in the Western region of Middle Earth called The Shire. Mother used to go back there regularly when I was still a babe in arms, although I can never remember what it looked like, staying in Erebor. Being half dwarf and half hobbit, I was always confused as to why I liked staying so close to Father's roots, hoping it would not hurt my Mother's feelings. It never seemed to.

"There's more of your Father in you," She once told me, "Half Hobbit you may be, but you are dwarf to the bone."

To her sorrow, and that of the Kingdom, we all found out how true her words were.


	2. Chapter 2

Beatrice

Thorin always said our Bella looked like me.

"Yes," I would say, "But in her heart she is you."

That was what I believed, for many years. When she was little, barely more than a decade old, she had all our company under her thumb. She liked to think it was her own charm that had done it, but I remember the day they all first saw her. They had loved her from the very first. I had woken from a comatose, and found Thorin by my bedside. Inside, I felt drained and split open. But the physical pain melted away when they brought the infant, squirming, to me. My baby. I hadn't known that Thorin had been waiting for me to wake up- Dis had been guarding our child. None of the company had been to see the baby. When I asked Fili why years later, he replied that it didn't seem right that they would see her before her Mother.

As this tiny body was placed in my arms, I thought of my family in The Shire when I myself was a child, running off in search of Elves. How that morning when I met Gandalf as a grown woman seemed so pointless and insignificant, before the band of Thorin's company had shown up on my doorstep. Now here, married and a Mother above all, I felt as though a whole world had grown around me. I wouldn't be holding my own child if it were not for that morning after, when I took one final look at the contract and decided yes, I wanted to go on an adventure. As I had ran through the Shire under that warm May morning sunshine, I had been running towards this moment. The baby in my arms was more than a child; she was a work of art. In her eyes there were the leaves atop the trees of Mirkwood, the sunlight through the glass windows of Rivendell, the lights of the Party Tree below Bag End. I would go through that pain again and again, if only for this sweet moment.

When I felt Thorin's arms come around me, the warmth grew. There were no words. When the others came in, all my beloved twelve of them, they provided enough noise.

"She's a little _lass!"_

"She'll look exactly like her Mother!"

"I bloody _told_ you it would be a wee lassie!"

"Look at her! Those little cheeks and fingers!"

"I never saw a sweeter Bearn!"

"Isn't she the prettiest picture you ever saw?"

I had never thought all these dwarves that had once been the terror of my pantry could be capable of such affection! Dwarves are hard and brutal, ferocious when faced with enemies on the battlefield, but with children, I have never found any race to be kinder and more welcoming. As I learnt during my time in Erebor before the Battle of the Five Armies, they are fiercely loyal and protective, so I really should have known it would be no different with children, especially one so loved as Bella was. In a culture so different from what I had known as a child, I worried for her, of course I did. But my fears were laid to rest when, at four years old, she suddenly got hold of Lord Dain's Warhammer and tried to swing it around her own head. I screamed at first.

" _Thorin! DAIN! Keep that hammer away from Bella!"_

Dain had clapped his hand on my shoulder so hard I nearly fell over- I was still getting used to his over-zealous personality.

"She won't hurt herself, lass!" He had laughed, "It's fantastic that she's staring early!"

" _Starting early?!"_ I shrieked, much to Thorin's amusement. He got up with a sigh and tried to coax Bella into relinquishing the hammer to him. She looked at him with such a scowl it nearly made me start laughing, until she began swinging it again, this time much harder. After a few tries it went sailing out of her tiny hands, across the Hall, and, of course, into a statue which collapsed with a crash. But that didn't stop Bella, being the Dwarf she was. She was over to it in an instant. Before she could pick it up, however, Dwalin had come and swung it off the ground. He handed it back to Thorin, who merely looked down at our daughter thoughtfully.

"It's a little too heavy for you, I think, Bella," He mused, "Something lighter, something you can move with."

By the time Bella was old enough to be wed, she moved as lightly in battle as a dragonfly skimming across water, all the while with a pointed spear flying around her body like it were a third arm. When she was a woman grown, her ashen hair rippled to the bottom of her back in lazy braids, sometimes held loosely in place by a Ruby clasp. The stubble on her chin gave her a grounded, Earthen look just like her Father, but the rest of her face was like me looking in a mirror. My daughter had a Hobbit's shape, but a Dwarf's height, which she certainly knew how to use. It threw off every squire who came to practice with her, and she could have them weaponless and on their backs after just a few careless strokes with her spear. Sometimes she got easily carried away, and it drove her beyond reckoning when she drew blood from her opponent. No one had ever disarmed her.

"That spear must be part of your arm," Dwalin had told her once, "Can you drop part of your arm, lass?"

They all loved training her. Gloin would come for her from one angle with his axe, she would skip aside. She could thrust the Spear's edge right between the blades and yank it from his hands before he realised. Ori would use her as a target with his slingshot, and every time the stones came back with a metal _clang,_ never once having touched her skin.

Because of her lightness, in comparison to her heavily Dwarvish opponents, she could dart around with the thinness of her spear as unyielding as a steel shield. I could always see the pride in Thorin's eyes as he watched her fight. Many Lords would bring their sons to the Mountain to try their hand at facing the Princess Under the Mountain. And every one fell before the spear. I was proud, like Thorin, but also cautious. Every time she stood over them, merely giving them a smug smile instead of helping them to their feet, I would wish she had shown interest in sewing instead. Her confidence in combat would cause later problems among friends, I did not doubt.


	3. Chapter 3

Balin

I never asked Beatrice what she felt when she found Thorin lying alone after the battle for the Mountain, atop Ravenhill. I can only imagine how I would have felt if I had found my dearest friend lying inches from death, unable to move for the pain. I do know what was said between them, though. B always felt that she could talk to me, and for that I was grateful, even during the long and unforgiving march towards Erebor when it had yet to be reclaimed. It was always so liberating to speak with someone who had never seen battle, and still naïve about many ways of this wide world. During the black spell beneath Erebor, she was the only one I ever spoke to about the Durin's maddening love of gold. She asked me when Bella was born to never speak of it, should the child ask, and I was glad to oblige.

But what was I saying? Ah yes, the burglar and the King. He was grievously wounded, only able to speak in agonised splutters, but they both knew what wanted to be said. Beatrice became practical, telling him not to move and he repeating her name again and again. He told her he wished to part from her in friendship, but she refused to hear of it. She, poor lass, did not know how to react to the sight of his bloodied wounds, and could do no more than at least try to hold the bleeding. By the time she was desperate enough to cradle his face in her hands, they were covered in his blood from her frantic nursing.

 _You're going to live,_ she kept telling him, _you're going to live, you are not going to die._ I can only imagine she felt as though she could make it so by the more she said it.

During her upbringing in the Shire, B was remarkably independent, almost a recluse. She could come up with any solution to any problem she might face, a young hobbit living alone, so why could she not save her friend? It was after hopeless wonderings such as this, I think, that she realised what she had always felt. What had propelled her to rush up to Ravenhill in the first place, regardless of the peril. As she began to whisper _I love you, my God I have loved you don't you know that I love you?_ She could see his eyes had already closed.

She had thought he was dead, at first. But as she kissed him and lay beside him, she saw his breathing, and began to sob with relief. When we found them, she had thrown her arms around him and was curled into him, as if the two of them were merely dozing in the emerging sun together. She wouldn't move until Oin told her he could not properly tend to Thorin unless she did. When stood beside him, she was relentless, constantly watching him, making sure he was still alive. I have never seen a soul keep such a hard vigil, apart from, of course, when Beatrice herself was unconscious after the pain of her labour, and Thorin watched over her.

I don't think anyone was ever happier when they told us they intended to marry. Their actual bonding as husband and wife was a tiny affair; I joined their hands myself. Present was only the company, us who had seen them grow and love together right from the beginning, from where they had first met in B's entrance hall. Needless to say they did not love each other when they first met. But what budded and blossomed was much stronger than any love I had ever seen, and it lasted much longer. If only their daughter had listened to that lesson, what the years had in store for them could have been prevented, I fear.

When the tiny princess was born, there was never a child that looked more like her Mother, but acted like her Father. I knew the instant Thorin saw her, he was taken. We all were. We were all excited to see her, and even more excited when we got a chance to hold her. The feeling was the same all through the company: we would protect this little creature more fiercely than any dragon had ever guarded his hoard.

The time to answer to this vow came when a spawn of Orcs and Wargs sprouted like weeds from the roots of the Misty Mountains. They had been given passage through by the same wretches of goblin town that we ourselves had encountered. Having chosen to make their way through the Kingdom of Gundabad, the path to Erebor was open. We were brought the news by Roäc, a great Chief of the Mountain Ravens. It was this faithful bird that bought us news of Dain's help arriving when we believed ourselves surrounded by enemies.

"There is no leader amongst them, King Under the Mountain," The wise old bird said, "They are merely a rabble of mindless, witless creatures, barely capable of thinking of any kind of strategy. You can take them unawares even if they see you coming in broad daylight."

I was stood at Thorin's side when Roäc told us this, in the vast underbelly of the Mountain. Beatrice was sat beside him, Bella in turn next to her.

"I will need no more than half a hundred fighters to see to this pack then, you believe, Roäc, son of Carc?" The King asked.

"Aye, your Grace."

Immediately the princess was on her feet and in front of her Father.

"Let me go and deal with them, Father," She asked boldly, to a cheer from the lookers on, "I will bring you back the head of the largest to mount on your wall!"

"Bella," Beatrice's voice had all the anxiety any Mother would have, "Please."

"Mother, if I am to one day sit where Father sits and rule Erebor," Bella replied, barely fazed by the Queen's misgivings, "I must be willing to _fight_ for Erebor."

"You already do," Beatrice cautioned, glaring at Thorin's proud smile, "Your place is here _in_ Erebor…"

"And Erebor will be here when it's future Queen returns, triumphant," Thorin told her, "Bella has fought and bloodied her spear in practice many times, but every soldier has a beginning."

"Bella is not a soldier," Beatrice nearly snapped, "She is a _princess._ She is my daughter. I do not want her on the frontlines."

"Beatrice," I ventured gently, "All she is asking is a chance to prove herself." When Beatrice turned her head to look at me, her eyes were so full of confusion and distress it was like trying to advise Thorin when his mind was made up. They always were both so stubborn- and their daughter was like a brick wall.

"I shall prove myself, Mother," The Princess declared, "With _this."_

And she flexed her spear. It spun deftly in her fingers, lighter than air. The hall fell silent as she wielded it. It stretched nearly to her full height, the tip sharper than any axe I had ever seen. The breezy sound it made was like a smooth sigh of wind, speaking in a language all on its own that none could understand. None except Bella.

"You fight in single combat!" Beatrice cried, "This will be a battle!"

"If I may ease your conscience, fair Queen," Roäc said calmly, "These creatures South of Dale are no warriors, nor with any military organisation like those that marched on the Mountain. Your daughter is skilled enough in combat to fight fiercely against these beings and win a thousand fold."

The look Beatrice gave Roäc was not one of confidence, but she had softened. She turned to me.

"I want _all_ of you riding with her. Not one of you is to leave her side during the fight." She was not born to be a Queen, Beatrice Baggins, but over the years she had grown used to command, having been weary of it for so long.

The smile that crossed Bella's face was so much like Thorin's it warmed my heart. She flounced up to the throne and kissed her Mother's cheek, and then her Father's.

"When I return I shall drink to us, Sons of Durin!" She shouted, and a roar of approval went up.

Thorin stood, and raised his fist in triumph to his daughter. They knocked heads, and we all did the same to our princess. Only Beatrice remained seated, a tense smile stretched uneasily across her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Bella-Dis

From a young age, Father was always reminding me that Erebor would one day be mine. I especially loved it when it was just the two of us, in front of his throne. It was carved from dark green marble, and I loved to scramble on top of it and see everything how he did. Father would scoop me up in his huge arms and let me snuggle into him. He always had a faint scent of his pipe about him, and I loved burying my nose into his thick black hair. He would whisper into my ear,

"One day, all this will be yours, my little one."

"I will be a Queen, just like Mother?"

"Yes, just like your Mother. They will flock from all across Middle Earth to pay their respects to you, even the tall Men and the Elves with their pointy Ears, just as once the Elven King paid homage to your Great-Grandfather. You will wear a crown of pearls and all of Erebor will adore you."

Mother was never present for this future prediction. She preferred it when it was the three of us in their chambers, in front of the fire, where she could sew and smoke her own pipe without the looming shadow of the throne around her. I loved these moments as well, as it meant Mother was not worried about affairs of court or state and she was at peace. Sometimes she would teach me how to knit little suits of armour for my wooden figures as I played on the floor with them. Father would always watch her with me, the fire making his dark eyes glow, and I could feel how much love there was between them in the sweet quiet times like this.

I shall always remember one night a foul storm was raging, having swept the waters of the Long Lake across the shores and thunder was heard even deep inside the heart of the Mountain. Bear in mind this was when I was very small, and to me the thunder and lightning outside the mountain was worse than the roar of the largest beast. Terrified, I scurried to hide under the sheets of my parents' enormous bed. But I couldn't shut out the sound of the thunder; it was as if Erebor itself were crumbling. Outside my wall of blankets I felt the weights of Mother and Father sitting on either side of me. I heard Mother chuckle softly,

"Don't worry darling, we're here. It's only a storm. It will pass."

And Father said even softer,

"Storms always pass. And we'll always be here."

Maybe it was that night Mother was thinking of when she tried to talk Father out of letting me ride South of Dale to face this rabble of Orcs, but I would have gone with or without Father's approval, I think. I was young, my blood was hot, and I thirsted for a fight.

I was more than aware of how afraid for me Mother was, but I didn't care. I was finally going to battle. I left the Mountain at dawn, with the original company all riding with me.

50 of Erebor's most skilled soldiers also rode behind me, all dutiful and proud. I cannot begin to describe how proud I myself was. Compared to what they had all faced in the past, it was a relatively small fight, but I felt as though I was going to face a dragon like my parents before me. If I had ever fought a dragon, I remember thinking, I would have spat in his face before running him through for stealing my home from me.

We waited a few miles south of Dale for the enemy to arrive. Having set up camp and started a few fires, spirits were high amongst all of us.

I sat to talk with my cousin Fili, who had already formed a firm reputation with many of the Lords and their Lady daughters. Mother had always worried that there would be bitterness between us as it was Fili who would have followed my Father to the throne had I not been born. She was always asking me to form a particularly strong bond with my eldest cousin. So it was with this in mind that I went to him on the eve of battle.

"Bella, I never wanted to be a King!" He laughed.

"But," I asked, "What about Father…?"

"Thorin told us tales of the Mountain right from when we were old enough to understand, and for years I believed I would follow Thorin as his heir."

"But I am his heir," I said.

"Aye, you are. And I am truly more content with that than you could ever know, Bella. Could I ride and fight with you now if I did not love you as I love my brother?" Fili always had such a warm smile for me. It's a pity I never learnt to appreciate it. And it is too late now. It is always too late.

Dwalin

From the moment she was born, I knew I would follow her to whatever end, just like her Father. As small as she was, I learnt not to fear for her in battle. When her spear stood beside her, there were none who could withstand her.

And believe me, hobbits have more strength than we dwarves give them credit for.

I was standing watch on the edge of camp when I saw the approaching torches of the enemy; I made my move and went to Bella.

"Bella," I addressed her, "They are in sight. Say the word, and we will attack."

She stood, and as if from nowhere she had her spear. I cannot say how much she was like her Father, even though it was as if Beatrice were physically stood in front of me.

"Call everyone to gather," She ordered. She sounded more excited than anything else. I could understand it easily enough- she was young and itched for a fight outside of her Mother's eye.

As the riot of Orcs approached, we slid into our battlements. We Dwarves are renowned for our prowess on the battle field, and I think we were all eager to show young Bella how her people had been fighting for hundreds of years. She stood before all of us, her spear poised. As the ground began to thunder, she turned to us, raised her spear, sharpened so well you could shave with it, and cried,

" _Du Bekâr!"_

For a fleeting instant, I saw Thorin. It was all I could do to stop myself from shouting,

" _To the King!"_

She led. We followed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This chapter is rated M for sexual situations.

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Beatrice

 _She is safe. She is safe. She is safe._

No matter how much I told myself, I could not escape the thought that Bella may not come back. Roäc was adamant that these Orcs were barely able to be called soldiers, they were that poorly prepared, and the whole mountain knew of Bella's skills in combat, but none of it compares to a Mother's fear.

I would not touch Thorin as we went to bed that night. I could see the look in his eyes of what was on his mind as I slipped into my night gown, but I had a sour taste in my mouth. In my head all I could hear was how he had been so eager to send our only child into battle. Instead I lay isolated, remembering how it had been on our wedding night. In the late days of our marriage, I relied on memories to remind me why I stayed in Erebor. The memory always started just after Balin had told us we could kiss.

I was still able to feel the stubble on Thorin's chin as his lips slowly left mine. Then the overwhelming affections of the rest of the company came, which always brought tears to my eyes. They all seemed to grab me at once, pecking my cheeks and drawing me in for crushing embraces. Thorin lured me away after, and we went alone down into the heart of the mountain. He kept his eyes on me. I was wearing a simple green gown like that of a typical Hobbiton wedding, with a garland of wildflowers in my hair, which had been a present from Ori. We didn't speak much- there was still a hint of nerves between us. When we reached the ancient oak doors that had once been Thorin's own chambers before the Dragon attacked, my heart was in my throat. He slowly pushed them open.

"May I?" His voice was the lowest I had ever heard it, barely audible. I gave him a small nod, barely able to contain my excitement. And all at once his arms had scooped me off the ground, my dress making a small _whoosh_ noise as he swung me into his embrace.

Once inside his room, there was only the dull glow of the candles to keep us company. He set me down to my feet but kept me close. I kept thinking of how he had lain on the ground after the fight on Ravenhill and wouldn't let go of him for anything.

"Are you trembling?" He asked me gently. At first I couldn't answer, even though he was right: I was shaking like a leaf.

"You don't know how afraid I was, when I found you lying there…" I murmured.

"No, I do not," He was remarkably tender, "But I know how desperate you became."

I looked up at him.

"You were unconscious… you…your wounds made it too painful for you to move…"

"Yes, but I heard everything you said to me."

I swallowed. It seemed such a loud noise in this silence.

"I told you I love you."

Thorin smiled at me. In my stomach I felt a stirring, a desire. "Did you not know? I ran all the way up to Ravenhill through the battle, to warn you. To be with you."

"I think I did know, then. You don't know how relieved I was, how thankful I was to see you alive. I had wanted to kiss you for the longest time before then."

The mention of him wanting to kiss me drove my mouth to his. It was calm at first, nurturing, as if reassuring him that we were together and it was going to stay that way.

"I have wanted you, Beatrice Baggins," He murmured into my ear. "How I want you." The heat of his breath became too much. My hands clawed their way into his hair. He had such beautiful hair, long and thickly black. Our movements towards the bed were gentle for a time, but then we began to feel our need more urgently. We became hungry for each other. I had wanted to feel his body against mine ever since he had drawn me in for that first embrace, what seemed like centuries ago. I had been so different then. But now here I was, ripping his cloak off, nearly biting his neck I had wanted to feel his bare flesh. He tore my gown from my shoulders and buried his lips against my breasts. It made such a large ripping sound I thought the whole mountain would hear it. My legs had come apart of their own accord and drawn him onto me, wanting to lock us together as one. I could feel his bulging manhood nudging against my entrance, my lower lips slowly beginning to part. He was yanking my dress to my ankles and I did the same to his trousers, now needing to be filled. Our teeth collided as we began to kiss again, fervently. He made a small growl sound and grabbed my wrists with one hand, pinning my hands over my head. I wanted to touch him, but he was too strong to fight, so _overpowering._ All I could do was stick my neck out and reach him with my lips. He was using his free hand to guide himself inside of me. I could feel my wetness below and eagerly waited for him. Suddenly I felt a sharp jolt, too close to pain, and gave a gasp. He halted, as if a whip had cracked.

Thorin released my hands, and cradled my cheeks. I drew my arms around his neck, almost too weak to lift them. I was dizzy with want and the feeling of being helpless.

Now he was inside me we both wanted to remember this. The blind animal-like hunger of a few moments ago was gone. I raised my lips for another kiss and drank in the heat of his skin, the scratch of his beard. With a tantalising slowness, he moved out of me, and I could feel my inner walls aching, a good ache, like when you press a bruise. His large hands came under my back and arched me into him. I could hear him drawing in breath…

"Beatrice." I felt a nudging on my shoulder, but my senses were too muggy to respond. _"Beatrice."_

Thorin, lying next to me in bed, was gently waking me. It would appear I had been moaning as I remembered our first night. He rolled closer to me.

"I can help you with that, I think," He whispered, leaning close to nuzzle my neck. I shifted away from him, not looking at him. I could feel his hurt. Before he could make any protest there came a loud knock at our door. Thorin sat up in bed, the sheets covering his lower half. I turned my head slightly to look at his thick chest hair as the door creaked open.

"Forgive me my King, my Queen," It was a watchman, from the outer gate, given how he was dressed against the cold, "Roäc has spotted the Princess and the force on the march back North. They are returning."

We both shot up, the intimacy gone. Now we were longer husband and wife in bed, but a King and Queen against our court. The attendant waited outside whilst we dressed. I pulled on a dark brown gown with a furred lining, but couldn't lace it up as my fingers were shaking. Thorin came round to help me, and cradled me into him from behind.

"She is coming home," He whispered gently, "She is _safe."_

As we made our way to the outer gate, it would seem the whole mountain had awoken. Atop the ramparts, the mood was tense as we waited. A light in the distance, and suddenly the sound of hooves could be heard. We could see their torches as they neared the Mountain. I craned my neck, desperately seeking out Bella.

She was at the head of the riders, her head held high but a tense look on her face. A quick scan of the others behind her, and they all had the same look. Something was wrong. Her ears were deaf to the thunderous roar that went up. Erebor was rejoicing at the return of its Princess, but she did not hear, and I saw why.

Of the 12 that rode with her from our company, only 10 had come back.


	6. Chapter 6

Rated M for violence

* * *

Fili

Roäc was wrong.

They weren't in any way an army, but they were dangerous. They had no strategy, but were ferocious, mindless creatures driven by violence.

We knew that when we first saw them. There was no look of any kind in their black eyes- they just wanted blood. I looked at Kili. His eyes were fixed on the riot of Orcs, his hand at his sword hilt.

When they attacked, Bella was the first they saw. She was waiting for them, and so was her spear. I understood her eagerness in wanting to lead us- I had felt as though I had to lead in my Uncle's eyes for years. As I stabbed and sliced, I kept an eye on Bella, just as we all were. We needn't have bothered.

She ripped through the body of one creature and his whole insides came out. She barely seemed to notice as she went spinning away and her Spear nipped at the knees of those surrounding her. They all went to their knees, then to the ground completely. One by one, Bella crouched before them, and one by one their guts came up with the spear.

She barely skimmed the edge of some of their throats, but the spear was so sharp it would have taken off the whole head if she had been any closer. I would have been captivated just watching her if I hadn't spied Kili out of the corner of my eye.

Four of them had sprung on him at once. Bella was gone from my mind and so was Beatrice's command- I had to reach my brother. There was nothing except shrieks and roars in my ears, but everything in me was shouting to get to Kili. I started slashing my sword desperately in front of me and all around me. My sight had gone red, and in my nostrils there was only the stench of blood. I was now smashing the heads of Orcs with my bare hands, but no matter how many I seemed to kill, I was never close enough to reach Kili. I could only just make him out ahead of me. Two more were now overpowering him.

At last I reached him. He was almost on his knees. I drove my sword into the back of one on his front. As the Orc went down, he made a grab for Kili's face. I took off his hand, and my brother's eye came out with his claws.

Kili was wailing in sheer pain, his hands on his face scrambling at the empty gap where his left eye should have been. I couldn't see his right eye, but on the ground sinking into the dirt was his left eye, one half of his smile.

I didn't even consider how it made me feel. All I could think was _get him to safety._ As I tore at the writhing grey bodies still snapping and scratching at him, I frantically scanned around us.

" _Gloin!"_

Thankfully, he heard, and turned to see me. I don't know what went through his head. " _Help me!"_

He shouted something in reply, but I never heard it. I suddenly felt an enormous slamming weight on my front that threw me backwards. It didn't bother me somehow; no army on this earth was going to stop me from stabbing all the grey skin I could see near my brother. He was floored now, his hands still on his face.

" _Kili…"_ I remember trying to say, but suddenly I felt teeth on my throat.

All I could see was red.


	7. Chapter 7

Rated M for language

Oin

We made our way back to the Moutain in silence. As the people cheered at our return, we were all silent. Walking past the onlookers and the guards, we were silent. When we came to the King and Queen who had seated themselves on their thrones, we were silent.

We had come against the onset of Wargs and Orcs and triumphed, but at too high a cost. Even if it's only a handful of lives, every death is still too much. We lost three Fathers and two Brothers.

When the last croak of the last Orc had been silenced, and all still living had been driven away we all came together, some knocking heads and embracing each other. I went to my own brother, but found him slumped on the ground leaning against his axe, as if he wouldn't rise for anything. When I saw who lay beside him, I went cold.

"He called my name…" Gloin's voice was shaking, "…and then his brother's."

I knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was no comfort. It was foolish of me to even think it, but a part of me wondered if I could've saved either of them. As our small force came together, I saw the final horror that had been made of the two young Princes.

Kili had been the first to die. His left eye had been ripped from its socket, and, blinded by the pain, the Orcs had set on him until he had bled to death. Fili's throat had been raked across by some foul creature's fangs and he had collapsed instantly. His arm was outstretched where he lay, his fingers just resting on his brother's cold chest.

As Balin relayed all of this to Thorin and Beatrice, as well as all the court, and the Raven Roäc, there was silence. I feared to look on either of their faces. Beatrice's thoughts were unreadable to a point, but there was the undoubtable relief that it had not been her own child. A mix of guilt as well, I think, that she thought this way. Fili and Kili had always been kind to her, right at the beginning of the company's journey to reclaim Erebor; they had been among the first to make her feel welcome. And that gap of two souls that had shown kindness could not be filled.

Thorin was as still as the statues of his forebears that loomed over the halls of Erebor. His face was, I cannot think of how to describe it. He had raised his nephews as his Sons. It was because of him they had known of Erebor as children, that they had dreamed they would one day stand in the vast halls where their bodies were now to be laid to rest. He had taught them how to ride and fight. He had promised their Mother he would look after them, all those years ago when he first dreamt that Erebor could be retaken. It had led them here.

Before any words of condolence or hopes of vengeance could be whispered, a sudden blood-curdling wail went up. It echoed off the walls and seemingly right through the heart of the Mountain.

Dis fought her way through the onlookers, her eyes blinded with tears. She pushed through all of us to the bodies of her sons, whom we had laid on woven stretchers to bring home.

Her face was scrunched in anguish, her hands trembling helplessly. This woman who had been so revered and respected as a Mother and healer throughout Erebor and the Iron Hills fell to her knees. She gingerly placed her fingertips on the edge of the stretchers, almost afraid that if she touched their bodies they would evaporate. Her head dropped and her whole body shook as if she could feel their ghosts coming to her for one final kiss, her babies. They had hurt themselves whilst practicing they swordplay and came to her to make it better. They had fallen off their ponies and grazed their legs then run to her. She clutched herself as if she were cradling them to her, as if that was all this was, just another day when her children needed her and only her.

We all could do nothing but look on, frozen.

Roäc moved first. He gently flapped to her and landed beside her.

"There are no words," He said softly, "You are not alone."

When she lifted her head her eyes were glazed with a maddening fury, and the Raven took a tentative step back. When she replied I felt my stomach seize.

"It was you who came telling us of these monstrous cunts," She screeched at Roäc, "If I ever see you in Erebor again, _I'll nail your wings to my wall!"_

She did not mean such violence aimed at the Raven, but her pain was too deep to conceal, and he happened to be closest.

Beatrice went to her, trying to put her arms around her. They were both Mothers, after all. The Queen's own feelings were unimportant, she knew, which is why she chose to conceal them. She would tend to her own grief at losing two of her dearest friends later, alone. But there is no comfort for a Mother who has had her babes taken from her.

Dis looked up viciously at Beatrice, and her expression said it all. _You made them ride with Bella,_ she wanted to scream, _they wouldn't have gone if you hadn't commanded them to._

She didn't say it out loud, but she wanted to. Her mindless anger aimed at Roäc was gone and now she saw who she thought was the real cause of her sons' deaths.

I don't think she realised how much they loved Bella, how much we all did. She didn't see that they would have ridden out to protect Bella regardless of anyone asking them to. All she knew was her sons had gone to battle and had not come back.

They would never come back to her.


	8. Chapter 8

Bella-Dis

It was Kili that taught me how to use a bow. I don't remember it exactly, but I do have a few tiny flashes of me being tiny and him crouching next to me. He always had a strong smell of the earth on him because he spent so much time out in the open with his weapon. Whenever he hugged me as a child I loved the feel of his stubble on my cheek.

Sometimes when I had trouble drawing the string back to my face he would bring his arms round me; it usually resulted in me completely forgetting that this was training for a deadly weapon and just throwing my arms around him in a hug. He would even swing me up off the ground sometimes. Then all of a sudden Fili would appear out of nowhere, and I would be chucked like a sack of potatoes across to him, squealing the whole time. There were times when I was young where I didn't think anyone could ever be happier than I.

After the battle when I saw them both lying there dead I collapsed. I can't remember ever looking at them again. It's only that image.

Kili with his eye ripped out and Fili with his throat caked in dried blood, his veins hanging limply out over his neck. I think Fili died mid-scream, trying to reach his brother.

I couldn't bear to be there when Dis saw them. I retreated to my chambers and vomited. The stench of blood was in my nostrils and I couldn't get it out.

All I could do was stumble to my bed and fling myself down. I didn't want to cry. That would mean accepting they were dead, and I couldn't. If I didn't accept it that would mean there was still every chance I would hear a knock and them asking if I wanted to practice my sword play.

When a knock did finally come, I couldn't see for crying so much. There was seemingly no end to my bloody tears.

It was Mother and Father. Both had red eyes, desperate to hold back tears.

"How did Dis take it?" I asked hoarsely. Mother shook her head. Before I knew what I was doing, I had risen and ran into my Father's arms. He took both Mother and I and held us. Once more the tears came. I cried and screamed into his chest. I could feel his tears in my hair. I had never seen him cry. Apparently he cried when Mother woke from her coma after giving birth to me, but I had never seen him cry. I quickly decided it wasn't something I wanted to see again.

Mother was different. Her eyes were red, but her tears didn't come in a torrent like when I cried. She was wide eyed, as if she had realised an awful truth. I knew she blamed herself for their deaths. I wasn't going to let that happen, I decided after they had left me.

For a long time I glared at myself in my looking glass, willing myself that I must do this. I knew that many of the enemy had fled after the battle, choosing to run rather than die. Erebor would not have lost its two princes for nothing. Not if the Princess was willing to avenge them.


	9. Chapter 9

Beatrice

Thorin and I weren't always like this. We haven't always been paranoid, haggard old monarchs who have trouble speaking to each other. When I was pregnant with Bella it was Thorin who was the worrier, always flitting about me and making sure I wasn't over straining myself. He would even insist on carrying me up or down certain flights of stairs if they were too long. Half the time he was determined to keep me in his arms and I couldn't help but start laughing helplessly as I struggled to free myself.

After the mountain was won and Thorin and I were newlywed, I took him back to the Shire for a honeymoon of sorts. I don't think I've ever seen anything funnier than Thorin smiling at my neighbours, trying to provoke a friendly reaction from them and failing.

"It's been so long since I've seen my front door, I've completely forgotten what it feels like…" I mused as we stepped up to it.

"Why the emotion over a green door?" Thorin asked with a slight smirk, I did not fail to note.

"Excuse me Mr Dwarf Mining Expert over here," I replied, "But I happen to love very inch of my house. I don't know why I ever left it. You can go back and rule Erebor and I'll stay here."

Before Thorin could make any sarcastic or witty reply I spotted something.

"Weeds!" I cried, and immediately went to work in the garden. Thorin tried to distract me by getting my front door key out of my pocket, but not until I had weeded every inch of the front porch, I insisted. Eventually he made a futile grab and fell right on top of me. I remember his lovely thick hair hanging in my face. Laughing, he pulled me up and I let us both in, giving him a strict lesson about how if you don't pull weeds up from the root, you may as well not bother.

Thorin took a much keener interest in gardening than he ever let on, as he wanted to help me plant the acorn I picked up in Beorn's garden.

"How do you know how deep to plant it?" He asked. "How do you know how much water to give it?" He then asked before I had given him a first answer.

"You know, there is a great deal to be learnt by just _watching,"_ I suggested.

When the acorn was planted we went into the market arm in arm, strolling through the sunshine as if nothing peculiar had happened in the past few months whatsoever. Whilst I stocked up the pantry it would appear Thorin got into an argument with the Master of the Auction House, who had told potential customers that there were no cheap Dwarfish reproductions _here,_ no sir. After I pulled him away by the arm, apologising to the Master I decided it would be best if we went home. By now, of course word had gotten round Hobbiton that a Dwarf had come back with Beatrice Baggins, and all the children came scurrying up the hill near Bag End to catch a glimpse of the outsider.

One of them I recognised to be little Rosie, who would grow up to get a job in the Green Dragon. When Thorin smiled down at her, she backed away shyly, blushing. When we reached my front gate, he plucked a rose from one of my bushes and beckoned her close. When she gathered her courage to approach him he went down on one knee and gave it to her. I winked at her as Thorin followed me into the house.

We spent the next few weeks living the life I had known before my Dwarves came to offer me an adventure. I would curl up into Thorin's lap as we sat nestled in front of the fire and read a book for a few hours. He would rest his head against mine and send his smoke rings spiralling up to the ceiling. He smoked so much you would have thought my chimney was on fire.

When I went out to water my vegetables and sprinkle fresh seeds I would turn around to see him stood behind me, holding a basket or water can. Sometimes I wanted to laugh at the sight of this Dwarf who I had seen defeat the Pale Orc in battle now acting as a second hand gardener. Most times I hoped he would always be there behind me, helping me with whatever I faced in life.

"When we return to Erebor," He whispered on the night before we left for the Lonely Mountain, "You will return a Queen."

I smiled into his kisses.

"And how do you think we should celebrate that?"

I like to think that was the night we conceived Bella.

"Wake up, lassie."

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Once again, it seemed I had let old memories overtake me. The last thing I remembered before I began thinking about when Thorin and I were newly married was sitting at a desk deep in the library. Then I had found an old book which I had always planned on completing; a glossary on the culture of Hobbits. It was Ori's idea. It looked like I had fallen asleep whilst flicking through it.

And that was how Nori found me, to tell me Bella had gone missing.


	10. Chapter 10

Bella-Dis

The sun had just sunk in the distance when I saddled a pony. As I rode out I could hear the voices of the watchmen scrutinising as to what I was doing, but they were small and far away. If they had lost anyone in the battle South of Dale, they would probably be riding with me.

As I passed through the outskirts of Dale, I could see the lights of families in their houses. I tried to put all thoughts of my own family from my mind. Perhaps I thought if I stared long enough at the pony's mane, the memory of life before Fili and Kili died would vanish.

I rode on. Eventually the glow of Dale had disappeared and the Mountain was barely the size of my thumb.

A few more miles and I noticed a few lingering shapes out of the corner of my eye. As I slowed the pony I could hear branches snapping as they began to catch our scents. The pony sensed it- she began trying to back away and whining. I dismounted and gently lead her along, trying to shush her. It only took a few more steps before I realised I was surrounded.

I had my spear slid into the pony's saddle bag. It was one movement away should I need it.

Suddenly before my eyes the largest of these creatures rose up. His skin was blotched and wreaked of something foul, and his eyes were two pits of blackness that regarded me with revulsion. As if _I_ was awful to look at.

When he opened his mouth to address me I could see bits of rotting bone and greying flesh wedged between his brown teeth, even in the darkness.

As he spoke I found, to my great surprise, that I could understand him. Mother had told me that some Orcs spoke the common tongue like we did, and only a handful still spoke the old language that the Pale Orc had once spoke. This one's voice was slimy and retching.

He warned me that a Dwarfish princess I may be, but that would not save me if I did not flee.

I cleared my voice and replied that I wished to face whichever of these things was the leader in single combat, if they understood what that was.

The head Orc with the ever so eloquent tongue gave me a putrid smile and I suddenly realised he had been crouching down. When he stood up he was over 9ft tall. His shadow was enormous in the light of the torches and left me swamped in darkness. I had to arch my neck all the way back just to see his eyes where I stood. All around me I could hear the other Orcs giving low, gut-wrenching laughs. The poor pony had started trembling beside me. She began to rear her head more and more. I took a firmer hold of her reigns and tried to calm her.

As I mounted her I announced that I would be waiting before the slopes of Erebor until the next sunset. If he did not show himself before that time, I would bring the mountain's full strength against him and destroy his wretched race for good.

This enraged many of them; one made to run at me with his rusty blade. All it took was one slide of the second part of my arm, and he was silenced.

"Remember," I told them all, "Sunset."

As I rode through them and broke away into the night, I could hear their arguments and screeches, and finally the booming tones of their leader silencing them.

 _You have made the offer,_ I told myself, _it is up to him to accept it or not._

I allowed myself no more doubts and rode on. I could feel the spear tapping my thigh with every gallop the pony took. As it did I looked up at the stars that were emerging through the night time clouds. It comforted me, strangely. As if Fili and Kili were watching me. Not just them. My grandfather, Thrain, and his father, Thror. The seven dwarf lords who held the seven rings in their halls of stone. All of them were watching over me now, assuring me I had chosen honourably. No one should face him but me, the one who had spoken up and started the fight.

As I tried to gather these thoughts, eventually I found myself passing the few lights left on as Dale slept, and the familiar shape of the mountain, slivery in the moonlight. The braziers on the front gate glared in the distance, and as I approached I could hear armour clanging as it was put on, swords singing as they were sheathed.

Before I could determine what they were doing I heard someone shout:

" _She is returned!"_

An ecstatic cry went up as a trail of guards swept out to meet me. I dismounted from the poor pony, who was probably glad to be lead back to the stables and finally be left to sleep. With my spear in hand, I stepped back over the threshold into home. I heard bare footsteps sprinting from the halls, followed by my Mother's voice calling my name. Father was with her, as well as Dwalin, Bofur and Nori.

"I'm no child," I barked at them all, "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." Whilst I made it sound like nothing more than a childish escapade, they would see soon enough when the Orc came to the mountain demanding to face me that it was anything but. As Father stared at me in confusion, Mother glared at me. As Dwalin merely looked relieved I was unharmed, Bofur tried to avoid looking at anyone.

I looked up at the pillars of the halls which had been carved to look like my forefathers. None of them would have shied away from what I had done.

Before Mother could scold me she saw the matted blood on my spear.

"Oh Bella," She whispered, "What have you done?"


	11. Chapter 11

Bofur

I first held Bella the day after her Mother woke up. Beatrice put her in my arms and I don't think I've ever held anything so warm!

She looked up at me with those tiny eyes, and I gave her the biggest smile I've ever given anyone. I brought her up right close to my face- and she made a grab for my hat!

"Look at that, lassie!" I cooed, not really caring of the grin B was giving me, "Ooo, isn't that lovely?"

"You certainly are making a fool of yourself," Beatrice remarked with a bemused grin.

"Oh but we do that for little ones, don't we?" I replied, saying it to Bella as much as her mother.

I understand now why Beatrice relied on memories to see her through. As I made my way through the halls of Erebor on that bleak day, I felt strangely brightened by remembering wee Bella as a Bearn. She never noticed, I don't think, but she was certainly able to brighten up any down hearted soul. Perhaps that's just the blindness of a doting Uncle… I know for a fact that she was just as stubborn as both her parents.

When Bella told Thorin and Beatrice what she intended to do, there was outrage. Beatrice demanded that our full strength be sent out to deal with the enemy immediately. Thorin was tempted, until Bella declared that what she did was no different to what her ancestors would have done. He fell silent. I think a part of him was actually dumbstruck.

"Bella," He said slowly, "Honourable your actions may be, but you cannot expect these creatures to know anything of honour. They will set upon you as one, the way they did to your cousins."

I was surprised he mentioned Fili and Kili. Their deaths had cast a darkness over the entire mountain.

"You can't do this, Bella," B clutched her daughter by the arms, "I won't let you."

"I know what I'm doing, Mother," Bella said through gritted teeth. For a moment I was reminded of when I argued with B as she tried to pile us all into barrels.

Bella wrenched her Mother's hands off her and asked a guard to send a serving girl to her. When the lass arrived Bella told her to send to the kitchens for food and drink. Then she turned and walked straight out of the front gate.

"Where are you going?" B nearly shouted.

"I told him to be here by sunset," Bella replied airily, "So I must wait for him."

" _Bella,"_ Beatrice's voice was filled with rage.

Bella stopped. None of us had ever heard Beatrice speak like that. Bella turned to face her Mother.

"Please," The Queen's voice was soft, "Don't do this. Fili and Kili are gone. What will you have achieved if you win? _They will still be dead_."

Bella had no reply. Her eyes, which were slowly tearing up, shifted from her Mother to her Father.

"You are silent, Father," She said sullenly, "What say you about this?"

Thorin stepped past Beatrice, ignoring her betrayed look, and approached his daughter.

"I say," His voice was strangely calm, "That you are my daughter. You are a daughter of Durin and Erebor's future Queen. Durin's folk do not flee from a fight."

Bella's lips were trembling as she tried not to cry, poor child. Thorin kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't look back, Bella," He said softly, "We are with you."

So she began her vigil, waiting patiently in front of the mountain like a mother guarding her cub. She ate and drank briefly, but kept her eyes on the hills beyond Dale. From what I could see business in the city was going on as usual. Bella had sent a messenger to Bard, the Master of Dale, that he should put watches on the city gates for the next few days. So she did have doubts, we all knew.

B had fled to her chambers, not speaking a word to anyone. I don't know where Thorin went, probably to sit on the throne and gather his thoughts. I knew Ori and Balin, like as not, would both be down in the libraries. Dwalin would have gone with Thorin, always the most loyal. Bombur, Nori and Dori were probably in the kitchens, Gloin and Oin probably in the armoury, Bifur could possibly have gone to join Ori and Balin. I decided to offer Bella a bit of my support. As I stepped outside, the weather didn't do much for my mood.

A cold rain had been falling for most of the morning, but still Bella sat before the front gate, slowly moving a cloth up and down the tip of her spear.

I put a hand on her shoulder to announce my presence, and she looked up at me with a small but grateful smile.

"I wish you all the luck in the world, Bella." I told her, "I really do." She came up to me for an embrace. She smelt like pipe tobacco. That was probably her Mother. "I told Beatrice that, once, you know. When she was planning to leave the company and run back to Rivendell."

"It's a good thing she didn't, isn't it?" Bella chuckled. Bless me, she did look exactly like Beatrice. How B would have looked as a child.

"Aye, you wouldn't be here now were it not for me talking some sense into her, would you, lassie?" I grinned at her. My smile always made her laugh- I never could fathom why.

"Hang on, Uncle Bofur- I thought it was you lot being captured by goblins that stopped her leaving?"

"No, it really was my excellent people skills! Why does no one ever believe my version of events?"

We talked for a little while as the rain continued to fall. Bella shared her food with me and I shared what puffs of my pipe we could get going. No matter how much she smiled for me though I could see the worry behind her expression:

 _What if Mother is right?_


	12. Chapter 12

Gloin

When we heard that Bella had disappeared into the night we were all set to go straight to the armoury and prepare ourselves to go out and look for her. I still can't say how relieved we were when word came back that she had returned safe. But relief quickly turned to worry, as it emerged that she was set to face this mountainous Orc in some sort of single combat. We heard her reasons at first: that it was the honourable thing to do, it was right that Fili and Kili should be avenged.

I didn't know that it was right or not; Fili screaming my name in the battle was constantly echoing in my head whenever I was alone. Admittedly a part of me did wonder: what was she thinking?! Dwarves stand united against the foe as one; divided we fall.

I was almost fearful to ask Beatrice her thoughts; I learnt from Dwalin how awfully she had reacted to Bella's intentions.

To give myself a task, I went to tell Dis what Bella was planning. She had not been seen since her sons were brought back to the mountain.

I feared she would not admit me at first. But as a parent myself I found it best if I told her, not someone childless.

There was no answer at her door. I took that as a positive sign; if she wanted me to go away, I would have known.

When I entered, she was sat at the edge of her bed, facing away from me. As I looked around I saw in shock broken glass scattered across the floor and parts of the walls had marks that could only have been made with an axe.

Slowly, I told her everything. She said nothing at first. I noticed with alarm she was clutching the bedpost so tight her grip was splintering the wood, but she didn't notice her palm was bleeding.

Just as I was about to take my leave, she turned to me. Her expression was frighteningly empty. When she spoke her voice was numb.

"If your Gimli was killed," She said, "If he was taken from you, what would you do?"

When we saw Dis wailing at the feet of her dead children, I did briefly have the chilling thought: _what if that was my Gimli?_

But I had pushed it to the back of my mind until now. I suppose you do not know until you are placed in that position.

"I don't know, Dis."

It must have been the answer she was expecting, for she turned back away with a content look.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, she said, "…I say let her fight."


	13. Chapter 13

Ori

When I don't know what to do, I read. When I'm unsure of anything, I read. When I'm afraid, I find comfort in books. When Bella was waiting on the slopes of the Lonely Mountain, I was buried in the Library reading. Eventually I came across the glossary on Hobbits that I had suggested Beatrice write. The pages were strangely wrinkled, as though they had been wet.

 _Poor Beatrice,_ I wrote in my journal. It was an enormous heavy thing, filled with countless scribbles and scraps. I hoped one day to write an account on the Mines of Moria in it.

 _We are all frightened,_ I continued, _the sound of marching is constant in the Mountain. All we can hear is drums in the deep. Most of all we fear for Bella, her who we have loved and watched over for years. Her skill and prowess as a fighter comforts us, I suppose. But Beatrice is like a wolf. Hobbits probably are the most surprising of all the races of Middle-Earth, and Bella is half Hobbit, half Dwarf. Next to Hobbits I fear we Dwarves are the most stubborn. Does that bode ill or well for little Bella?_

Before I could write anymore the echo of running and shouts began floating through the Library. There was a chill running through me as I rose and made my way to the front battlements at the mouth of the Mountain. Making my way through the thickening crowds, I saw Bella's dark hair silhouetted against the blood coloured sun. Beatrice and Thorin were with her. They had been given chairs to sit on, with fruits and wine to drink, as if they were watching some sort of performance. Obviously it wasn't Beatrice's idea. It looked as though she was trying to continue an argument.

"Will you at least put on more heavy armour?" She implored.

"I'm at my best when I'm moving around," Bella replied breezily. She wasn't really listening to her Mother- her eyes were unmoving from the enormous shape looming in the distance. She moved closer to her Father, who once more wore that look he had carried during the journey to Erebor. I remember being slightly afraid of him when I first met him, and constantly in awe. I slipped in amongst my brothers like a mouse, trying to stop staring at the monster of an Orc.

As the western sky began to turn the colour of autumn leaves, thousands of Erebor's citizens had come to see their Princess fight. And behind the head Orc a swarm of creatures had followed him to see the event. They snarled at us with gruesome faces and black, soulless eyes.

Thorin regarded them as though they were not there. They were beneath him. Beatrice stared at them in hostility.

"You should not have started this," She told Bella, "There is no hope for this."

"You learnt this during your years as a fighter?" Bella asked sceptically. Beatrice gave her a disdainful look.

"I learnt this when I was in the lower halls of Erebor, stealing from a sleeping Dragon." Beatrice's voice was blank. Bella turned back to her Mother, suddenly humble and respectful. I saw Thorin turn away almost in admiration. Beatrice's face softened.

"You're my daughter, Bella. My only child. Your happiness is mine. But please ask yourself one last time, for me, is this worth it?"

Upon that question, the largest of the creatures across from us rose above the rest of them, longsword in hand. Even in the dusk light I could see his veins bulging from his muscles. He was all strength. He waited for Bella.

Bella approached her Mother and gently took her hands.

"This is for Fili and Kili, Mother," She told her gently, "Family is worth everything."

Beatrice stopped. We could all see her trying to hold back tears.

"It's going to be alright, Mother." Bella was smiling now, comforting and reassuring. I think Beatrice was going to say something else, but she thought better of it. She kissed her daughter and prayed it wasn't the last time. As Bella walked away, Mother and Father exchanged two unreadable looks. I looked around for Dis, but there was no sign of her.

Bella, daughter of Beatrice, advanced to meet the enemy.


	14. Chapter 14

Rated M for violence

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Balin

Bella took her spear, and began to spin with it. Her hands moved deftly in a pattern. She must have circled him a dozen times, creating a wind of her own, and when she came to a stop, an airy, careless smile on her face, we all cheered her on. Thorin clapped his hands together the loudest, a swelling pride on his face, making his eyes seem only the more red. Beatrice merely gave that blank smile she had given the last time her husband and daughter had an idea of battle. I shouted with the rest of them- we all knew Bella was a show woman as well as a fighter. We also all knew Fili and Kili were watching wherever they were, and the confidence was for them more than anything.

"You know I am a Princess, but have they told you who I truly am?" Bella asked him across the grounds.

"Some dead dwarf," He grunted in his own language, and lunged. Bella gave a sniff and slid away with seconds to spare.

"I am the cousin of Fili and Kili, Sons of Durin," She told him as though she were talking to a child, "And do you know why I have called this gathering of my people and the miserable things of that other race?" She leaned forward, "For you."

He gave another grunt and made another lunge for her. This time she stepped back, her stance as firm as a tree, and the spear met the blade as equals. They clashed again and again, Bella keeping herself fixed at the long end, he trying to get into her long jab. After a few shots like this, Bella resumed, loud and clear,

"I have summoned us all to hear you confess, before you die. You attacked my cousins, you killed them. You ripped their eyes out. Say it now and we can make this quick."

There were a few cheers from the Dwarves. The monster was silent, his face blank. And he moved again, his blade swinging as he went.

"You attacked them, you killed them," Bella called, and with one swing her spear was pinning his blade down, "You ripped their eyes out." With a screech the sword had wrenched free, and Bella was suddenly in the air, spinning with her spear as though she could dance with it. As she landed, she gave him a huge smile. She suddenly kicked the edge of her spear outwards, making a jab for his chest. He brought his sword down like an axe, but Bella was already gone, beckoning him to chase her. And with every swing she said to him,

"You attacked them, you killed them, you ripped their eyes out." She brought the spear back, swung it round herself to build up speed, and made a jab at him. It got caught in his armpit. He yanked it back, then threw it clean across the ground, and Bella with it.

It must have been the first time something had caught her by surprise since the start of the fight.

Beatrice gave a choking gasp and was on her feet suddenly, as if being closer would help her daughter.

But Bella immediately had control again. Whilst on the ground she merely gave a small laugh and swept the spear around almost like a child's skip rope. The beast backed away with every swing as the edge chased him, and Bella was on her feet again. Again, she went for the thrust, but he knew it was coming this time.

A snake-like smash, and the spear was in half.

Another and it was out of Bella's hands.

He drew his blade downwards, attempting to knock her off her feet, but with one leap Bella winked at him. She strode across the arena like talking an afternoon walk and took from one of the watchmen another spear.

A few spins to bring herself back to power, and she advanced to meet him.

She went down to avoid another swing. He grabbed her by the shoulder and flung her far across. With a few grunts and runs, he was nearly on her, but she slid elegantly out of harm's way.

Her arms went up, and she had him.

The spear took him in the side of his chest. He gave a snort of pain, but it was overtaken by the gasps from the onlookers.

Bella got to her feet, and raked it across his stomach. He backed down and struggled to keep himself upright.

I stole a glance at the parents. Beatrice's eyes were wide with both fear and a crazed joy that it would be over soon. Thorin had the same look in his eyes that he had when he first laid eyes on the gold in the lower halls.

Another snap at the legs, and he went down. But Bella continued.

"You attacked them, you killed them," Her voice was rising. He was barely on his knees, swaying. She took a few paces back, drawing in breath.

" _You ripped their eyes out,"_ She yelled, and pounced. He fell back in terror, and the spear went straight through him, the blood coming out of his mouth like a fountain. As she stood over him, still leaning with her full weight on the spear, there was a glazed look in Bella's eyes. She tilted her head to one side.

"Wait, are you dying?" She asked, matter-of-fact like. She left the spear protruding from him. It went up and down with every breath.

"No, no, no, you can't die yet," She told him, "You haven't confessed!" And she yanked it out of him. The noise he made sounded as though he would vomit up his insides.

"Say it," She said, "Say their names. Fili and Kili, Sons of Durin." She paced round him.

"You attacked them, you ripped their eyes out. Fili and Kili, Sons of Durin."

From the creature bleeding on the floor, there was nothing. Not even a hint of life. Only his eyes remained open, frozen in pain. But still Bella shouted.

" _Sons of Durin!_ Say their names!"

Beatrice looked ready to intervene and put a stop to this, but I saw Thorin put an arm out to stop her. He was enjoying it; they all were.

"You attacked them, you killed them, you ripped their eyes out…" She was menacing now. The spear was bouncing in her hand, like she meant to use it again.

"Say it- say their names…" She hissed, and for a second, she glanced up at her parents. Bella was shaking her head in fear. Thorin was smiling. The Princess Under the Mountain looked down at her prize.

"Say it –…"

An arm shot up. She was knocked to the floor.

Her arm went looking for the spear, but it had rolled too far. A monstrous hand came over and clawed at her neck.

It hiked her right up above him, and he punched her in the jaw with his free fist.

Her teeth went skittering across the ground like pebbles.

He slammed her head first to the ground.

She lay dazed in her blood.

He was on top of her now, his fingers pressing into her eyes.

"Fili and Kili, Sons of Durin…" He moaned with his last breath.

Bella began to screech.

There was a cracking sound.

"I had them overrun, then I attacked, and then they died, just _like this!_ " He knelt up, and brought his weight into his hands.

Beneath him there was a crunch. As he collapsed beside her, his face was specked with blood and bone.

And there lay Bella, her head in pieces at the top of her body like a blooming red flower.


	15. Chapter 15

Bifur

This voice I speak with now is my mind's voice. I have not spoken aloud except in dwarvish for many a year, and even that is bloody hard to follow for most, apart from my brothers. And her, of course. Little Bella.

We do not speak of the deaths.

She danced with her spear following, drawing streaks of blood like an artist's paintbrush behind her. I have never seen anyone, half dwarf or no, move like her.

Her wee mouth which had smiled at me so many times lay in pieces, her jaw a pile of bone and toothless from where she had screamed in agony. But the noise she had made as her skull began to split was not human. Bits of bone were scattered all around her head where her skull had been crushed, and her blood had turned the ground beneath her deep red.

All I could hear was Beatrice. She was screaming.

Those eyes, exactly like her mother's, were undistinguishable amongst the blood. So much blood, too much. A horrible and foul way to die. Bella was too young. They always are. If there was any justice in a world such as this, it would have been me with my old grey head smashed in and Bella living on, a piece of axe imbedded in her skull but very much alive.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw the Lady Dis appear for the first time. But the look on her face made my insides roil. Whatever the look on her face was, it certainly was not horror, like the rest of us. More like justice.

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A/N: I know I've been away for a long time, teaching in Spain and whatnot, and also working out how I can carry on another short story I've been working on... this chapter was scribbled down months ago, but I've never had the time to publish it. Trying to decide how to finish this story, as well as the Arya Initiative, and A Game of Hunters. Thanks for all the follows and favourites! All the reviews are appreciated! Thank you for your patience! Xx


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